Method and apparatus for manufacturing tires



W. C. STEVENS.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING TIRES. kPPLlCATION FILED OCT. 10' 1918. RENEWED APR. 23,1921. 1,398,749.

2 sums-sun 1.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

W. C, STEVENS.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10, ms. RENEWED APR. 23,1921.

1,398,749. Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

Jaw/afar Mia/220 C LZ3Uem6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. STEVENS, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING TIRES.

Application filed October 10, 1918, Serial No. 257,638.

To all whom it may come/n:

it niown that I, lVILLrAM C, STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Manufacturing Tires, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has for its object a new and improved method for manufacturing tires, and the apparatus for this purpose, which will enable tires to be manufactured more cheaply than at present, by reducing the amount of handling necessary in get ting the fabric to the machine, and in presenting the fabric to the machine in fresh and perfect condition.

In the drawings accompanying this ap plication, there is shown diagrammatically the layout of apparatus to accomplish the purposes of the invention, but it will be understood that the particular design is not essential and may be changed within the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a view in side elevation and Fig, 2 is a plan view.

In the manufacture of automobile tires by present factory methods, the fabric from which the tire is manufactured is given friction coat of rubber compounds on both sides and then given a skim or surface coat on one side by means of calenders. The fabric is then taken to the bias cutter where it is cut into strips at an angle of 45 as is required in the manufacture of the easings. At the bias cutter the fabric strips are placed in books or rolled up in a liner to keep the rubberized fabric from mutual contact. The books referred to are boards on which are secured a number of layers of liner by one long edge. Each strip of rubberized fabric is placed between the layers or leaves of the books. The books or rolls in which the bias strips are held are then taken to an assembling table at which point the fabric strips are placed end to end, being firmly spliced, or rolled together, so that a straight length of bias cut fabric is formed, which is then rolled up in a long narrow liner on a drum. This drum of liner and fabric rolled together is placed on the machine.

In place of using the books or rolls of fabric intermediate the bias cutter and the assembling tables it is possible to bring the Specification of Letters Patent.

Renewed April 23, 1921. Serial No. 463,904.

bias cut fabric directly from the bias cutter to the assembling table.

The drums on which the fabric and liner are rolled constitute an expensive item in the operation of a tire factory and as the drums are not taken directly from the assembling tables to the machines, consider able space is required for their storage. The fabric for different kinds and sizes of tires is of different widths and it is neccssary to tag the rolls and keep an accurate record of them, which requires considerable clerical force. Furthermore, as the rolls stand, the liner becomes stuck to the tacky rubber coating making its removal diflicult and often causing injury to the skim coat, which is detrimental to the finished tire. Considerable time is often wasted at the tire machine in separating the liner from the fabric. During the building of a tire care must be exercised on the part of the tire builder that splices do not pile up, that is, become superimposed in the building of the carcass, and while the fabric is rolled up between the turns of the liner, it is impossible to locate the splices, and frequently the splices pile up in a tire necessitating the rebuilding of it, or the operator unrolls the fabric and tries to determine the location of the splices, which operation consumes valuable time at the machine.

By the method herein disclosed all of the difficulties experienced. in the handling of the tire fabric are obviated, it is the purpose of my invention to run the fabric (lireet from the assembling table to the tire machine, and for this object it is necessary to provide a new combination of elements in a tire factory.

In the drawings represents the roll of fabric and bias strips as they are received from the bias cutter, the liners being designated by the numeral 2 and the strips by the numerals 3 and 41-. It will be understood that the rolls may be eliminated and the bias cut fabric led directly from the out ter to the assembling tables. As the fabric is generally required to be of two different widths in a tire carcass owing to its position relative to the bead, there are shown two separate rolls of fabric and liner, the fabric 3 being slightly narrower than the fabric 4. The liner is wound up on the roll 5 after passing over a table 6 upon which a considerable portion of it is exposed carrying the bias strips, skim coat uppermost.

From the upper surface of the table 6 the operator removes the bias strips and places them end to end to form the length of bias fabric from which the tire is made. The table or supporting means upon which the strips are laid is. shown at 8 and the two strips of bias fabric are shown at 9 and 10, the former being the narrower strip adapted to form the first or under bead plies, and thelatter being the wider strip to form the plies over the bead. In the making up of the strip, the operator rolls down the overlapping ends of the fabric to make a splice shown at 11.

At the end of each table 8 is arranged a.

pair of liee'd rolls 12, one of which is provided with a crank 13 so that the operator may pass out the fabric as fast as it is assembled. From the rolls 12 each length of fabric may pass over a pair of idle rolls 14- between which it forms a loop 15 torstorag'e and inspection purposes.

The apparatus is designed to be used with a tire building machine such as shown and described more particularlyin my copending application Serial No. 256,429, filed October 1, 1918, certain parts of which machine are shown diagrammatically in the drawings. It is obvious that the invention is not limited for use with such a machine, but may be applicable to other well known or standard machines. The method and apparatus are peculiarly adaptable'i'or a machine of the type shown herein, as in these machines the core occupies one position during the laying of the plies under the bead and another position during the laying of the plies over the head, as the narrower strips 9 are led directly to the core in the first named position and the wider strips 10 are led to the core in the second naned position. 7

With machines in which the core is fixed in position it is possible to utilize the present invention by having two sources of fabric of. differing widths directly accessible from the operators position and easy of application to the stretching mechanism, which.

may accompany each machine, or if desirable, only one width of fabric may be used for all. the plies.

In the particular embodiment which i have shown the tire machine comprises a moyable supportor table 16 which carries 'a nluralit 0t suaaorts 17 on which are mounted cores or forms 18. In this particular machine the core occupies four positions during the manufacture out the tire. the first position being shown at A in whicl'i the finished tire is inspected and trimi'ncd and a new core substituted for the finished one. Thesecond position is at B in which the first plies of fabric which go under the head are laid about the core and shaped thereto. The third position is shown at C in which the beads are applied and the fourth position at D in which the last plies of "fabric which go over the head are laid about the core and applied thereto. In order not to have too much detail in the diagrammatic view, the supports for the core in A and Opositions have been omitted and the shaping bead applying, trimming mechanisms, and core rotating mechanisms have been omitted. The means used for moving the support 16 from position to position have also been omitted from the drawing, but it will be understood that each core moves about the machine from position A to position D remaining at each point long enough to have.

the several operations performed on :tour cores at the tour points. It will be understood that the number of supports and Steps in the operation of the machine may be varied. without departing from the inven tion.

Adjacent the movable support, and pretterably located within it, is a stationary support 19 which carries a pair of guide rolls 20 which receive the fabric from the last idle roll let. From the guiding rolls the. fabric passes to each core in B and l) positions through a pair of stretching rolls 21.

and 22 from whence they pass to the rotating core. Any suitable means may be devised for exerting a drag upon the rolls 21 and 22 to stretch the Fabric. A braking mechanism may be used, but it is preferred by me to make use of a retarding roll shown at 23 which may be so geared to the rolls 21 and 22 as to exert a determined and measurable stretch to the fabric. The details oi the device are not essential to an understanding of this invention and have been omitted from the showing, but attention is directed to my copending application atore said for these details.

lVhen the plies of fabric have been stretched around the core, it is cut below the roller 22, and the shaping mechanism, however designed, is brought into play, or the fabric may be shaped by hand. It will be noted that the fabric from the two tables cross in their passage tothe machine. This is for the purpose of keeping the skim coat on the upper side or" the fabric to facilitate the building of the tire, although this arrangement is not essential as the fabric may be assembled with the skim above and below for the different strips. I

the use of the apparatus herein described, and by practice of the method, the

drums on which the fabric strips are rolled up may be dispensed with. It is not necessary to use a liner between the turns of fabric which in itself is a great saving. The "fabric is always fresh when delivered to the machine and the skim coat is in perfect condition, not being injured by handling as has been the case heretofore, or by adherence to a liner, which will not only peel off the skim coat, but will delay the operation of the tire machine. Furthermore, the tire machine operator does not have to guess or waste valuable time in investigating the location of the splices as the fabric hangs before him in a long loop and he can locate the splices far enough ahead so as to icnow where to attach the leading end of the fabric. The loops 15 are of sufiicient size to accommodate enou fabric for one operation of the tire machine, and serve as storage points for the fabric between the assembler and the tire machine operator from which the latter may draw.

l 'arious changes and modifications may be made in the construction and operation of the apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacrificing any of its benefits.

I claim:

1. In the process of manufacturing tires, the steps of cutting fabric into a plurality of strips, building a continuous length from said strips, leading said length directly from said formin point to a core, and applying the fabric to the core.

2. 1n the process of manufacturing tires, the steps of assembling bias strips end to end to form a length of fabric leading said fabric, in a continuous strip directly from said assembling point to a form, and applying the fabric to the form.

2?. in the process of manufacturing tires, the steps of assembling bias strips end to end to form a length of fabric, leading said fabric in an uninterrupted strip from the point of assembly to a form, stretching the fabric, and applying it to the form.

4. In the process of manufacturing tires, the steps of assembling the bias strips end to end to form a length of fabric, leading said fabric in an uninterrupted strip from the point of assembly to a form, forming s id fabric into a storage supply and stretching said fabric on its to the form, and plying the fabric to the form.

In the pr cess of manufacturing tires, the steps of assembling the bias strips end to end, to form a length of fabric, leading said fabric in an uninterrupted strip from L the point of assembly to a form,forming in the length of fabric a storage supply and a plying the fabric to the form.

6. In an apparatus for building articles of rubberized fabric, the combination of sup porting means at which strips of bias fabric are assembled. to form a continuous strip, an articlebuilding machine, and means for ling a continuous strip from the supportmeans to the building machine.

, An apparatus for the manufacture of an assembling table where ic fabric is formed into continuous strips, urality of individual strips, a tire for forming a storage supply of said the way to said machine.

n appar' us for the man c" the combination of an assem fable wliereon the bias ,bric is joined en ,io end to form a strip oi fabric, tire ing machine including a core, means for leading said fabric from said table to said machine, means for forming a storage supply of said fabric, and means for stretching the fabric prior to its application to the tire core.

10. An apparatus for the manufacture of tires, a combination of an assembling table whereon the bias abric is joined end to end to form a strip of fabric, a tire form, means to conduct said fabric strip to the tire form, and a stretching mechanism through which such fabric strip passes on its to the form.

11.. In an apparatus for the manufacture of tires, the combination a table at which individual. strips fabric assembled to form a continuous strip, guiding means to conduct said continuous strip from said table, a tire machine including a core, said guiding means conducting said continuous fabric strip directly to said core.

12. In an apparatus for the manufacture of tires, the combination of a table at which individual fabric strips are cmbled to form a continuou strip, a tire machine in- .cluding a core, stretching mechanism on said machine, said stretching mech nism receiving said fabric from the guiding means and delivering it to the core.

in an apparatus of the rharacter described, the combination of a support for a core, said support being movable from one position another, two a sembling tables, and for condu ting fabric f om. said tables to said core in its two positions respectively.

1 In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a support for two cores, said SP port being movable to transfer said cores our one position to an other, two assembling tables, and means for conducting fabric from said tables to said. cores.

in an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a support for two cores, said support being movable to transfer said cores from one position to another, two assembiing tables, means for condurting fabric from said tables to said cores, and means for forming a storage supply of said fabric between the tables and the cores.

16, In an apparatus 01" the character described, the combination or support for a plurality of cores, said support being movable to shift said cores, two assembling tables means for conducting "fabric from said tables to said cores, and stretrhing mechanism for fabric irom each table.

17. In an apparatus or the character de scribed, the combination of a support for a plurality of cores said support being movable to shift said cores, two assembling tables means for conducting fabric from said tables to said cores, a stationary support and stretching mechanism.

a plurality of cores, said support being movable to shift raid cores, two assembling tables, m anstt'or conducting said fabric from said tables to the cores, means for forming a stora 'e supply of fabric, a stationary support, and stretrhing mechanisms for said fabric in two positions of said cores carried upon said stationary support.

WILLIAM G. sTErENs 

